In grocery stores and other locations where produce and other foodstuffs are placed in bags for containment and carrying, generally a closure device is provided in order to temporarily close or seal the bag such that spillage of the contents does not occur. Typically, the closure device is either a twist-tie or a plastic lock device of the type manufactured by the Kwic-lok Company of Yakima, Wash.
Generally, a twist-tie is comprised of a length of wire embedded in a paper or plastic strip. The wire strength is such that the device may be easily looped about the open end of a bag or other object requiring closure or retention and the wire may then be twisted about itself. The wire is fully annealed with the gauge of wire commonly used being approximately 27 gauge. The paper or plastic wrapping serves the function of protecting the user of the device from sharp wire ends, facilitating ease of unfastening the device by urging the twisted wire into a larger pattern, and providing an aesthetic device.
The twist-tie itself is typically separated into individual component devices, or is arranged and configured in a side-by-side manner with other twist-ties. In the latter configuration, the twist-ties usually include perforations between the individual ties to provide for removal of the ties from one another.
Twist-ties, however, suffer a drawback when used in an environment wherein either a large number of people will be utilizing the supply of ties, for sanitary and entropy reasons, or a large number of ties are required to perform the task at hand. In the grocery market example, sanitary conditions are of utmost importance and so requires consideration in the manner of dispensing the ties. Further, spillage of ties is a concern for safety reasons among others. Heretofore, however, dispensing methods in such stores were limited to bulk dispensing of either individual ties within a container or bulk dispensing of ties in a side-by-side situation. In both cases, each consumer desiring a single twist-tie was forced to come into physical contact with a number of ties in addition to the tie which the consumer chose during the selection process. Additionally, if the side-by-side arrangement was utilized, selection of the twist-tie often required two hands, causing inconvenience to the consumer.
The second type of closure utilized is the "kwic-lock" type device referred to above. The plastic lock device is comprised of an integral "c" shaped portion and a tab portion. The device is installed on a bag by gathering the bag to form a neck (often accomplished in practice by holding the open end of the bag and spinning the lower end of the bag), placing the "c" portion of the lock against the neck, and twisting the tab portion. The twisting motion forces the jaws apart slightly and twists them into a position wherein the neck of the bag slips through the jaws and into the center of the "c". The neck of the bag is then secured.
Conversely, a twisting force applied to the tab portion when the device is inserted around the neck of the bag opens the jaws of the "c" portion slightly, while twisting the jaws. This allows the bag to slip through the jaws. The device is then released from the bag.
The drawbacks associated with the dispensing of this plastic lock device in a grocery type environment are similar to those set forth in regard to the twist-ties. The typical dispensing methods of the plastic lock device include bulk dispensing in a container or inserting the plastic lock device jaws onto a steel rod such that a number of devices are in a face-to-face arrangement with one another. Sanitary considerations are again a concern, since in both cases, the consumer is likely to contact a great number of devices in selecting the device for the consumer's personal use. Further, the relative ease of securing the device, the cost of the devices and the diversity of uses of twist-ties over kwic-lock style devices generates a demand for the twist-ties.
Therefore, there arises a need for a twist-tie dispenser system which enables consumers to select individual twist-tie style closure devices without handling additional twist-ties, other than the one chosen during the selection process. Further, there arises a need for a process to fabricate the twist-ties for such a dispenser.